The Mysteries of Udolpho · Chapter
Chapter XL explained
Emily and Valancourt meet for a final, agonizing farewell.
What happens
Emily and Valancourt meet for a final, agonizing farewell. Valancourt confesses his ruin and his unworthiness, but his grief and remorse are overwhelming. Emily, fortified by the Count's counsel, resolves to break their engagement, though both are devastated. Valancourt resigns her, vowing to reform, and they part in mutual sorrow.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Climax.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where Valancourt, ov…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Grief and Melancholy
The entire chapter is saturated with the sorrow of parting; both Emily and Valancourt are overcome by convulsive sighs and tears.
- Love and Separation
The central event is the final separation of the lovers, driven by Valancourt's past misconduct and Emily's resolve to protect her future.
- Virtue and Self-Command
Emily exercises fortitude and prudence, resisting Valancourt's pleas, while Valancourt ultimately resigns her out of a sense of honor.
Characters to notice
- Emily St. Aubert
Struggles to maintain composure during the final parting with Valancourt, weeping silently and ultimately retreating to her room.
- Valancourt
Overwhelmed by remorse and despair, he confesses his ruin, resigns Emily, and vows to reform, but is convulsed with grief.
- Count De Villefort
Urges Emily to remain firm in her resolution, fearing Valancourt's entreaties will weaken her fortitude.
Key passages
“Why prolong these moments? said Emily, in a voice scarcely audible, they are too painful to us both.”
Emily asks Valancourt to end their painful farewell, speaking so softly she can barely be heard.
Emily's plea to cut short the agonizing parting.
“I am again afflicting you, said he, but let the anguish I suffer plead for me.”
Valancourt apologizes for causing her pain, asking that his own suffering excuse him.
Valancourt's self-justification for prolonging the farewell.
“Farewell, Emily, you will always be the only object of my tenderness. Sometimes you will think of the unhappy Valancourt, and it will be with pity, though it may not be with esteem.”
Valancourt bids Emily farewell, saying she will always be his only love, and hopes she will remember him with pity if not respect.
Valancourt's final, sorrowful declaration of enduring love.
